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Manu National Park

Located in the forest of the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios, the National Park of Manu represents the biggest natural treasure in the Peru, for the number of species that harbors and for the diversity of ecosystems that protects. Manu is one of the few wild areas of the world where the animals are plentiful and they live in a completely natural state. The forest of the Manu offers an extraordinarily high density of wild life, collpas of mammals and macaws where the animals concentrate and it is easy to observe them. Exotic birds as the Cockerel - Anthill Frentirrufo, Cotinga Carinegra. Any other area in America offers so excellent view of strange or difficult animals of observing.

Location

Cusco and Madre de Dios. Manu is located to 1.400 kilometers of Lima.

It was established as national park in 1973 on a surface of 1.532.806 hectares and declared Natural Patrimony of the Humanity for the UNESCO in 1987.

Altitude

It embraces a variety altitudinal that goes from the 4,390 m.a.s.l of the "puna altoandina" to the 200 m.a.s.l of the amazon plain.

Access

A highway affirmed part from Cusco and it drives to the towns of Watchtower and Shintuya (at 9 and 12 hours respectively), points from where it is possible to begin the trip for waterway (5 at 6 hours). Light plane flights that unite Cusco and the town of Mouth Manu also Exist (30 minutes), from which is necessary to continue for waterway (4 at 6 hours). It is necessary to hire the services of the agencies authorized for it.

The access from the foreigner is through the city of Lima, via air. From the city of the Puerto Maldonado you can arrive to the Reservation by surface mail or fluvial.

Climate

Rainy station from December to March; although outside of her they are not strange the cloudbursts. The months of May to August, with superior temperatures to the 30° c, they are the most advisable for their visit. The normal climate of this area goes from 26 °c to 32 °c, but in rainy days it is from 13 to 18 °c.

Services

Lodgings, food, transport. The tourist infrastructure is rustic and basic, for what you can also opt to camp.

It is recommended to remain in the area seven or eight days, approximate time required observing a good representative sample of the species of wild fauna of the area.

Recommendations

It is recommended to always travel with repellent for insects and lotion solar protector. It is recommended the use of shirts of long sleeve and long pants to avoid the stings of insects. The vaccine against the yellow fever is obligatory. Readiness of vaccinations exists against the malaria, the tetanus and the hepatitis A and B, as well as ambulatory treatment for the leshmaniasis (uta) and the malaria.

CTG advise to hire the services of a company with experience in the region or to look for the forestkeepers support or local guides. The service of guides doesn't have a high cost and allows to enjoy its knowledge and of local people's hospitality. It is recommended to remain in the area seven or eight days, approximate time required to observe a good representative sample of the species of wild fauna of the area.

Flora and Fauna

In the reservation they inhabit diverse well-known ethnic groups as the amahuaca, huachipaire, machiguenga, piro, yora and yaminahua, besides others without any contact with the modern world.

The national park of the Manu is the natural atmosphere of more than 20,000 vascular plants, 1,200 species of butterflies, 1,000 of birds, 200 of mammals and even unknown numbers of reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Is considered one of the biggest parks in South America. The area of the park comprehends part of the serranía of the department of Cusco and the forest of Madre de Dios department. The Manu embraces two million hectares in a rich territory in flora species and fauna in an Andean great variety of high habitat, forest of clouds and tropical forest. The UNESCO recognizes officially to the natural paradise of the Manu like Patrimony of the Humanity, and later on in 1997 it names him World Reservation of Biosphere, because it harbors the biggest Biological Diversity in protected areas of rainy forest and of several endemic species of the forest of clouds.

The great majority of forests in the world has been impacted by the man's actions, fortunately Manu is almost intact, probably because it has stayed far from the civilization.

Also, we can observe a variety of animals in their different habitats including: Giant otters the Black Cayman, the Jaguar, the bear of Glasses, the Tapir, the Tigrillo, also 13 species of monkeys and approximately a thousand species of birds including seven classes of Macaws.

The Manu also protects to 10% of the vegetable species in the world, including diverse species of figs and palms, besides the countless species of medicinal plants that at the moment are being classified for the science. A single hectare of the forest in Manu can harbor more than 220 species of trees, while a hectare of forest tempered in Europe and North America could only have 20 species of trees. The National Park of the Manu is probably the park protected with more biological diversity in the world.

In its almost million and half hectares the park keeps an incomparable biodiversity in the world and its territory embraces from the heights of the puna, the humid and tropical forest and the amazon plain.

Cusco, one of the most touristic cities of South America, was the capital of the Inca Empire, an important cultural center of the Andes, Navel of the World, cultural center and axis of the Inca religious cult, and nowadays Archaeological Capital of America and Cultural Heritage of Humanity; many attractions to describe and perhaps little time to getting to ...read more (+)